AS the World intensifies the fight against narcotic drugs, arms trafficking and social engineering, some 800 Tanzanian seafarers, employees of Danaos Shipping Merchants Marine Company have been fired over allegations of criminal acts while on board.
“We had 1,000 seafarers employed by Danaos, but now we have only 200 remaining,” Head of Zanzibar Danaos Merchant Marine Institute (ZDMMI) Ali Mzee Yosouf said, adding that the increasing illegal business has prompted many countries abroad to tighten their marine transport laws on Tanzania seafarers. He said that, some dishonest seafarers have tarnished the image of Tanzania, promising to take strict measures when recruiting.
ZDMMI is supported by the DANAOS Shipping Company Limited, one of the world’s largest independent owners of containers ships, with its head quarter in Greece.
The seafarers were reminded about the Danaos Drugs and Alcohol policy, along with international marine regulations that they risk dismissal or jail sentence as most countries conduct widespread investigations.
Mr Yosouf said, about seven seafarers have been arrested while trafficking narcotic drugs from Brazil to Europe, as the ZDMMI lawyer Mr Abdalla Juma Muhammed warned that the laws on drugs were now tougher than before.
Captain Stelios Petronios from Greece who was among the facilitators of the meeting here said, seafarers from Tanzania are at risk of being disqualified if they continue violating the marine laws. “War on drugs remains challenging and difficult but the shipping company is determined to screen its workers,” he said.
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